Battenfeld: Marty Walsh choice for VP under fire in children’s food scandal
A significant scandal has emerged in Minnesota, implicating a network of Somali immigrants in a staggering $1 billion fraud scheme involving the state’s social service programs. Federal prosecutors have charged dozens of individuals, primarily linked to a food nutrition program for children, which is overseen by Governor Tim Walz—a Democratic figure who was once vetted for the vice presidency by Marty Walsh, the former Boston mayor and current executive director of the NHL Players’ Association. The allegations suggest that the Walz administration ignored multiple warning signs regarding the program, which was politically supported by the Somali community, leading to widespread misuse of funds intended for vulnerable populations.
The fallout from this scandal has prompted sharp criticism from various quarters, including former President Donald Trump, who has accused Walz of incompetence and linked the issue to the Somali migration to Minnesota, which hosts the largest Somali community in the U.S. The state’s immigrant population, which has historically benefited from generous social service programs, is now facing scrutiny and potential backlash due to the actions of a few individuals. Governor Walz has vehemently defended the Somali community, emphasizing their contributions to the state and condemning the demonization of an entire group based on the actions of a few. However, as investigations continue, questions loom over the extent of the fraud and the accountability of those in power, including Walz himself.
The New York Times has detailed how the fraud took root within pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora, where individuals allegedly set up companies to bill state agencies for services that were never rendered. This included the exploitation of programs designed to help children, such as those providing nutritional support during the COVID-19 pandemic. With 59 convictions already reported and more investigations underway, the scandal has not only raised concerns about corruption within the state’s social service programs but also strained relationships between immigrants and long-time Minnesota residents. As federal prosecutors warn that continued fraud could jeopardize the future of these essential programs, the state grapples with the implications of this crisis on its reputation and social fabric.
The man Marty Walsh vetted for vice president is engulfed in scandal in his home state of Minnesota, where Somali immigrants are accused of a massive ripoff of the state’s social service programs to the tune of $1 billion.
Dozens of people have been charged by federal prosecutors with fraud in connection with the stolen funds, mostly from a food nutrition program for children overseen by Governor and former Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz.
Walz’s administration reportedly overlooked numerous red flags about the program because the Somali community supported him politically.
Walz, handpicked by Walsh, who was part of the Democratic ticket’s vetting process, would be the vice president if Kamala Harris had defeated Donald Trump.
Walsh, the former Boston mayor and Labor Secretary, is the highly paid executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association but had close political connections to Kamala Harris while Harris was looking for a running mate.
“You can see why she chose (Walz),” Walsh told WBUR in an interview. “He’s run a state. He’s been in Congress. He’s a veteran. He did a lot of what American people are looking for.”
The American people averted that Democratic disaster of a ticket but Minnesota is now dealing with the incompetence and possible corruption of Walz’s administration.
Walz over the weekend blasted Trump for tying the scandal to the Somali migration to Minnesota. The state is home to the largest Somali community in the country, a total of more than 100,000, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
In the wake of the scandal, the Trump administration on Friday ended legal protections for Somali migrants in The Gopher State.
“As far as demonizing our Somali community, maybe he could help us on some things,” Walz said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Demonizing an entire community, folks who are in the professions, educators, artists, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, they bring the diversity and the energy to a place like Minnesota.”
Trump posted on Thanksgiving that Somali migrants “are taking over this once great state of Minnesota” and accused Walz of incompetence.
And in a scathing post on X, employees of Minnesota’s Department of Health Services blasted Walz as dishonest and incompetent, saying he “has never taken any accountability for his role in fraud.”
The New York Times, in a lengthy expose, reported that “fraud took deep root in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora as scores of individuals made small fortunes by setting up companies that billed state agencies for millions of dollars’ worth of social services that were never provided.”
A total of 59 people have been convicted in the schemes to steal the safety net programs, prosecutors say.
Imagine the outrage of Massachusetts residents if these crimes had happened under the watch of Gov. Maura Healey.
But Walz, whose military service came under scrutiny during the Harris campaign, has denied any knowledge of the plot that was undertaken mostly by Somali migrants whom he has lauded as pillars of the community.
The corruption scheme could widen in the coming months.
A good question is what did Omar know about these stolen public funds, which were supposed to benefit poor children during the COVID epidemic? A former aide to Omar has already pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the federal child nutrition program.
Some Somali Americans are concerned that the scandal has damaged the reputation of their community, but critics of Walz say he let the scandal go on because he was afraid of alienating Somalis who have been supportive of him.
Minnesota has attracted hundreds of thousands of immigrants mostly because of the state’s generous “Scandinavian-modeled” social service programs, according to the Times.
The schemes began with the food nutrition program as far back as 2022, when state agencies reimbursed a nonprofit organization for thousands of “nonexistent” meals. In reality most of the funds went toward paying for cars, houses and real estate projects, the Times reported.
Somali American citizens also are accused of ripping off a program to provide therapy for autistic children by funneling kickback money to parents.
The depth of the scandal, which is just hitting Minnesota residents, has pitted immigrants against other longtime residents.
“No one will support these programs if they continue to be riddled with fraud,” federal prosecutor Joseph H. Thompson told the Times. “We’re losing our way of life in Minnesota in a very real way.”
Former Boston Mayor and U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald, File)
